The principle behind the property tax is simple, but the arithmetic gets messy with many properties of varying and changing values—which is why reassessments like the one underway in the city of Rochester are necessary.
Policy Wonk
Let’s fix the Earned Income Tax Credit
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The incentive value of the credit is blunted by the annual nature of the payout. This needs to change.
Policy Wonk
New data on the minimum wage
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The effects of the increase enacted by New York are hard to measure, but we can be certain it will be good for some workers, employers and consumers—and bad for others.
Policy Wonk
Let’s not abandon high academic standards
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Recent calls for improving graduation rates by eliminating state-run exit exams are misguided. A high school diploma is meaningless if it doesn’t prepare students for what comes next.
Policy Wonk
Downstate interests drive upstate costs
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With New York City Democrats in control, a mix of progressive posturing and downstate-centric policy dominated the 2019 state legislative session.
Policy Wonk
More of the same for Rochester schools
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Are the members of our Albany delegation more worried about offending their financial supporters than they are about the well-being of the city’s children?
Policy Wonk
Lessons from other cities: School quality as an equity strategy
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Rochester was chosen by the “Reinventing America’s Schools” project of the Progressive Policy Institute as one of eight cities to share best practices on improving urban education. A May 30 workshop addressed the challenge posed by Rochester public education by introducing participants in promising reform models.
Policy Wonk
RCSD takeover? Tell us what you think
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Reports suggest that the New York State Board of Regents and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren support a state takeover of the Rochester City School District. The May 13 Beacon education forum discussed specific proposals that could be solutions to the district’s woes. What do you think of these ideas? Participate in a survey.
Policy Wonk
Breaking the cycle of failure in Rochester’s schools
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A local solution to the Rochester city schools crisis is beyond local reach. Power is too fragmented to permit substantive change. It’s time for New York to declare an educational emergency and establish receivership for the district.
Policy Wonk
Truth or consequences: the current and future economy
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Yes, Rochester has remarkable assets. But trumpeting our potential can dull the frustration we should feel when we underperform and blunt our resolve to do better.
Policy Wonk
The Chinese recycling bombshell and us
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A year ago, China announced that it would stop being our enabler by accepting the jumble of plastic and paper we put in those blue recycling boxes. It’s now time for each of us to take responsibility for our solid waste.